


Just Over a Week

by acercrea



Series: Time for Love [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, break-up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3275495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acercrea/pseuds/acercrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Manuel and Kathrin just broke up and Manu is sad. Can Thomas cheer him up? Why did they break-up in the first place?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Over a Week

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is for an Anon who wanted a Neuller short story. I might make another part to this, so keep your eyes peeled. Also the fabulous n-l-g-n on Tumblr translated it into Russian. If you want to read it the web address for that is: http://ficbook.net/readfic/2666643 and if you want to check out n-l-g-n's Tumbler it is at: http://n-g-l-n.tumblr.com/

Just Over a Week 

One week, two days, fourteen hours, and twenty-two minutes. That was how long it had been since Manuel told me that he and Kathrin had broken up. I had been trying so hard not to appear too happy about this news and actually be a supportive friend, but I was ecstatic. To tell the truth I didn’t think I was doing a great job of hiding my enthusiasm, but when you are in love with your best friend and you have been for almost 5 years, it is hard not to do a happy dance when they break up with their girlfriend.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Kathrin and I thought they were actually a pretty great couple. If he wasn’t going to be with me, I was glad he was with someone as amazing as Kathrin. She was supportive, she loved him, and most importantly she understood that just because she shared him with his fans, she was the one he came home to and that was what mattered.

I didn’t believe him when he told me. He and Kathrin had been together for so long, I had all but resigned myself to having to give the best man speech at their wedding. “I have to tell you something, Thomas,” he started to say one week, two days, fourteen hours, and twenty-three minutes ago.

“What’s up, you look sad?” I asked him.

“Well it is not good news. I can’t believe it myself, and we are not telling people yet, but Kathrin and I broke up,” he confessed.

“What? No way. You are joking,” I responded.

“No, I’m not. It was all very sudden. I get home from the away game yesterday, and she was waiting for me on the couch. Half of our stuff was missing, and there was a suitcase by the door. I set my bag down next to hers and she stood up and walked over to me. She told me that it wasn’t working out and that we should just end this before it was too late. She told me that I had fallen out of love with her, and it wasn’t fair to pretend otherwise,” he told me.

“Did you fall out of love with her?” I asked him.

“I don’t know. She said a lot of things, and some of them feel true, but putting all of this on me is so unfair of her. Especially considering all of the other things she said about me,” he trailed off.

“What did she say?” I asked, hating how small and lost he sounded.

“That I was in love with someone else,” he replied.

“Who?” I asked, afraid of what name was going to come out of his mouth next.

“She wouldn’t tell me. All she would say was that they felt the same way, and maybe with her out of the picture we would both realize and finally be able to tell each other how we feel,” he told me.

“And you have no idea who she is talking about?” I asked, not even daring to hope that he didn’t have a clue.

“None. I have not even noticed another girl since I started dating Kathrin. I think right now I am still hoping she will take me back,” he replied.

“Well, do you want to do something? We could go to a bar. We don’t have to work tomorrow, so you could drink until you forget that you even had a girlfriend to be missing,” I offered.

“No, I think I am just going to go home. I want to be alone right now. Wrap my head around this,” he said, picking up his gym bag and walking out of the locker room.

I totally meant to give him his space, but somehow I found myself one week, two days, twelve hours, and 13 minutes ago knocking on his door.

“What are you doing here, Thomas?” he asked tiredly when he was it was me.

“I am your best friend, Manu. I am here to cheer you up. I know you said you wanted to be alone, but who else is going to help me eat the 2 liters of Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream I bought?” I asked him.

“Come in,” he sighed, walking back toward the couch, leaving me standing at the wide open door.

“Great,” I replied, closing the door behind me as I made my way to the kitchen to get spoons before joining him in the living room. “So, what are you watching?” I asked settling next to him on the couch and handing him a spoon before opening the ice cream.

“Inception,” Manu replied.

“I love this movie. You have to pay attention to everything and even then, you still are never quite sure if you know what is actually happening, plus the ending it a total head trip,” I said.

“That is the point. I needed a distraction,” he sighed.

“You are getting that tone that tells me you are starting to find me annoying,” I remarked, noticing I was the only one eating the ice cream.

“Not annoying exactly, but I did want to be alone tonight,” he grumbled.

“Tell you what, you start helping me eat this ice cream, and I will not say another word,” I bargained. Manu raised an eyebrow in disbelief, so I added, “Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a scout,” he replied as he dug his spoon into the ice cream. His eyes widened as he tasted the frozen treat. “This tastes like Nutella. You got me Nutella ice cream?”

I just stared at him for a minute so he said, “I asked you a direct question, you dork, you can respond when I am talking to you.”

“I got you Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream. I thought it would be a safe bet,” I replied simply.

“But how did you know?” he trailed off.

“I am your best friend. I know what you like,” I shrugged.

“What else do you know I like?” he questioned.

“Lots of things. You like pancakes with jam instead of syrup, you prefer citrus scents to musky ones, you like the smell of fresh cut grass on the pitch, on the way to matches you like to sit in the aisle seat so you can focus better, on the way back you like to sit in the window seat so you can see everything you missed on the way. You like dogs more than cats, but you still like cats. You like to listen to classical music in the locker room, but you don’t want the guys to know, so you have it labeled as rap and hip-hop, and you make sure that you never put anything on there that has no breaks in between the movements, because there are no twenty minute rap songs. Nothing slow either, stuff like Vivaldi’s Winter and March to the Scaffold by Berlioz. And I know that you like that you have the dubious distinction of probably being the only keeper to ever get a yellow card for a hand ball at basically the half field line,” I teased him gently.

“Hey, that was one time and I have never been out of the net when I was needed there,” Manu replied.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing. You have always been there when I needed you,” I informed him.

“Yeah, but you make it easy, Thomas,” he said with a smile.

“Not always,” I sighed.

“Yes, but even when you are difficult, I still know what you are thinking. And it never takes long for you to return to your usual happy go lucky self,” Manu told me.

“I love my life. I have a great job, fantastic friends, a wonderful family, what is there to be sad about?” I asked him.

“Do you ever get lonely?” he questioned.

“Why would I get lonely?” I asked him.

“You never seem to date. I have never seen you with any girls. When you go to events you bring your mom, or your sister. Never anyone special. Does it get lonely?” Manu asked.

“Sometimes, yeah. But I don’t like to think about that,” I replied, turning my focus back to the movie.

“Well, I have a feeling I am going to be lonely a lot lately. Maybe if you are lonely one night we can get together and be lonely together,” he stated almost like a question.

“Deal,” I replied, holding out my spoon to him. He clinked his spoon with mine and we turned out focus back to the movie.

One week, twenty-two hours, and five minutes ago I showed up at his door again.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Thomas, but what the hell are you doing here at six in the morning on a day when we have to be at the pitch at nine?” he asked me.

“I thought we could go on a run,” I replied.

“There is no chance I am going to be able to talk you out of this so we can go back to bed, is there?” he asked me.

“Zero,” I agreed.

“Give me 5 minutes to change and brush my teeth,” he grumbled, leaving me standing in the door as he disappeared back into his bedroom.

One week, twenty hours, and fifty-two minutes ago, we stopped for a break in a park at the top of a hill overlooking München.

“It is gorgeous up here,” he commented as we tried to even out our breathing.

“Yeah, I like to come up here sometimes to think. It is still in the city, but far enough away that you can’t hear the city noise. You are a part of it but separate. It is nice here,” I agreed.

One week, twenty hours, and forty-five minutes ago I turned to him and said, “Hey Manu?”

“Yes, Thomas,” he asked.

“Last one to the bottom has to buy the other coffee,” I replied, sprinting off down the hill.

“Get back here, Thomas, this is not fair, you cheater,” he called after me.

One week, nineteen hours, and five minutes ago he walked into the locker room and handed me a coffee.

One week, seven hours, and forty-five minutes ago I showed up at his place with Chinese take-out and we watched Run, Lola, Run.

Six days, twenty-two hours, and five minutes ago he was ready for me when I knocked on door at six in the morning.

Six days, twenty hours, and thirty minutes ago I owed him a coffee which I gave him six days, nineteen hours, and ten minutes ago.

Six days, eight hours, and thirteen minutes ago he showed up at my place with pizza and we watched Event Horizon.

Six days, five hours, and thirty-seven minutes ago he declared that Event Horizon was the worst movie he had ever seen.

Five days, twenty-one hours, and two minutes ago I found him already in the aisle seat of the bus and a to-go coffee holder on the seat next to him. Five days, eighteen hours, and forty-two minutes ago I traded my iPod with his and he smirked when he heard what was decidedly not Right Thurr by Chingy. Five days, sixteen hours, and twenty-five minutes ago I told him the song he had never heard with the really weird rhythm was called Vesuvius and that I would put it on his iPod before our next run.

Five days, seven hours, and thirty-six minutes ago I scored the winning goal and when the final whistle blew five days, seven hours, and thirty-three minutes ago I ran over to the opposite side of the pitch to celebrate with Manu.

Five days, three hours, and fifty-five minutes ago we got back to our hotel room after celebrating our victory with the rest of the team.

Four days, nineteen hours, and seventeen minutes ago, I was waiting in the aisle seat for him, a to-go coffee holder on his seat.

Four days, twelve hours, and thirty four minutes ago he showed up with two cases of beer and told me we were playing the Star Wars drinking game. Four days, twelve hours, and thirty minutes ago I read the rules of the Star Wars drinking game and decided it was a really good thing we didn’t have to train tomorrow, because this game might kill us.

Four days, three hours, and thirty-nine minutes ago I put a blanket over a passed out Manu and stumbled into the bed room.

Three days, sixteen hours, and eight minutes ago I stumbled into the kitchen and found Manu standing in front of the stove putting bacon and eggs onto a plate, annoyingly not looking like he had been hit by a freight train the night before, which was how I felt.

“There is water and aspirin next to your plate,” he chuckled as he pointed to the table, where I discovered a second plate of bacon and eggs sitting next to a smaller plate of toast, a glass of water and a couple of small pills.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hate you right now,” I told him.

“Well, if you had made yourself drink three glasses of water last night instead of me, you would probably be fine now and I would be the one who feels like crap,” he smirked, as he joined me at the table.

“I did that?” I asked.

“Yep, you took very good care of me,” Manu replied with a smirk, taking a bite of his bacon.

Three days, fifteen hours, and forty-two minutes ago we decided to skip our run and watch The Lord of the Rings.

Two days, nineteen hours, and three minutes ago there was a coffee waiting on the aisle seat when he sat got on the bus.

Two days, nine hours, and forty minutes ago he made a last minute save that allowed us to win the match.

Two days, seven hours, and ten minutes ago I fell asleep on his shoulder as we drove back to München.

One day, twelve hours, and thirty-three minutes ago he came over with Indian food and we watched Terminator. One day, ten hours, and fifteen minutes ago Manu and I got into a debate about movie characters falling in love.

“It is easy to know who to love when it is written into a script. Real life is harder, and in real life I don’t think Sarah Connor would have considered a man that she slept with once and who she really only knew for a couple of days her soul mate unless she had serious delusions. Real relationships need a foundation, a basis for lasting. In the real world, she would have dumped him as soon as the terminator had been destroyed because she would have realized that they had nothing in common,” Manu argued.

“Yes, but what about love at first sight? Don’t you believe in that? That you can see someone across the room and know that you are meant to be together?” I asked.

“That is rich, coming from the guy who has not had a serious relationship in the entire time I have known him. Lasting love comes from respect, friendship, and mutual understanding. First impressions are fleeting, and misleading. You have to get to know someone before you can know if you are truly compatible,” he replied.

“But isn’t it fun to think about? That there is one person out there for you and all you have to do is find them. It is like the greatest scavenger hunt of all time,” I commented.

“I had no idea you were such a romantic, Thomas,” he trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes all of a sudden. We settled into a comfortable silence, until Manu suddenly jumped off of the couch and said, “I have to do something right now, Thomas. I will call you tomorrow?” he closed the door behind him before waiting for my answer.

Twenty-two hours, and five minutes ago he didn’t answer his door for our run.

Five hours ago I went to bed after not hearing from Manu all day. He hadn’t answered my calls and his lights were off when I went by to check on him.

Forty-five minutes ago I gave up trying to sleep and decided to go for a run. Ten minutes ago I reached the top of the hill and found him sitting there on a bench.

“Manu?” I asked.

“Thomas, what are you doing here?” he replied in a flat voice.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a run. I am glad I didn’t stop by your place, you wouldn’t have been there,” I commented.

“I talked to Kathrin,” he told me.

“About what?” I asked him.

“I figured out who she thinks I am in love with. I asked her, and I got it right. The only problem is that I am pretty sure the person does not feel the same way about me, and I am not sure I want to destroy the best relationship I have going now. Even if they like me, our relationship would be ridiculously complicated. We are both in the public eye, we have obligations and expectations, and people will talk. A nice, quiet, private relationship like I mostly had with Kathrin would in no way be possible with this person,” he sighed.

“I am sure it is not bad enough to be sitting out in a park by yourself at four in the morning, how long have you been here, anyway?” I asked him.

“A few hours. I was walking around for a while and found myself here. The city is covered in fog and the lights make it glow, it was pretty to look at while I dealt with my little existential crisis,” Manu replied.

“Manu, stop. Look at me,” I ordered. When he complied I continued, “You are an amazing guy, you are smart, funny, thoughtful, and you care about everyone. Any woman would be lucky to get a guy like you and if whoever you are in love with can’t see that then she doesn’t deserve you,” I finished, even though every word broke my heart a little bit. I hated thinking about seeing him with anyone else.

“You are wrong. The person I am in love with is amazing, they know what kind of music I like, they know how I take my coffee, and you are using the wrong personal pronoun,” he trailed off.

“What?” I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.

“He also knew that I liked Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream before I had even tried it,” he whispered.

“Manu?” I asked, my voice no more than a breath.

“I am in love with you, and it means I am going to lose you, and that is why I avoided-” he started but I cut him off.

“Shut up, Manu,” I said as I leaned in and crushed my lips to the mouth I had been dreaming about for 5 years. I pulled away just as suddenly and said, “I have loved you for five years.”

Manu stared at me for a minute with a shocked look on his face before a look of unbridled desire over took his features and he was the one to meet my lips this time. His kisses were hungry as he gave into the feeling of us. I moaned slightly when he thrust his tongue into my mouth, and by the time he moved to my neck I was whimpering, I wanted this man so desperately.

I reluctantly pulled away a few moments later, not wanting to stop, but knowing that if we didn’t I probably not be able to stop before we were both lying sated on the ground, and asked, “What does this mean?”

One week, two days, fourteen hours and twenty-two minutes he told me that he had broken up with his girlfriend. That was how long it was before I felt I was on the verge of having everything I have ever wanted. That or five years, depending on what measurement you were using. “It means that I love you too, and we will figure this out. Now how about we go back to your place and finish what we have started?” he asked five seconds ago and grabbed my hand and we started running down the hill hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This one got away from me length wise and I am thinking about doing another chapter from Manu’s POV. Let me know if you want that, I love these two together so much it won’t take much arm twisting to make me comply. And Manu’s chapter won’t have the funky countdown thing. It was something I thought was cool at the beginning and I am on the fence about now. Anyway, let me know what you think and if you want to request a fic just let me know!


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